A Manhattan judge ruled Wednesday that a splinter group must stop pretending to be in charge of the Correction Officers' Benevolent Association. Longtime COBA president Norman Seabrook hailed the decision: “Somebody can say that they are the President of the United States but that doesn’t make it true,” he said. full story

Police investigators likely won’t find the driver who supposedly cut off a prison-bound bus on the New York State Thruway in Rockland County, causing the bus driver to hit a guardrail and overturn with 16 inmates aboard, the state police said Thursday. full story

Officer Peter J. Figoski worked the midnight shift in one of New York’s most dangerous precincts, apprehending robbers in and around East New York, Brooklyn, with the instincts of a 22-year veteran. Then he would go home to Long Island to drive his daughters to school. His life, balanced so purposefully by two passions, shattered in an instant early Monday morning. full story

In his Letter to the Editor (Nov. 28 issue), declared candidate for the COBA Presidency Celestino Monclova takes issue with a number of actions the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association has taken to benefit each and every single Correction Officer in this city. While Mr. Monclova has desperately attempted to mislead the membership through a series of false accusations, I’ll take this opportunity to set the record straight. full story

The city's Department of Correction is significantly increasing the number of its solitary confinement units. Currently, it has 862 so-called "punitive segregation cells." By the end of next month, it will have just under a thousand, according to DOC Commissioner Dora Schriro. full story

Committee chair Elizabeth Crowley, using figures that appeared to have been prepared by the Correction Officers Benevolent Association, asked why the punitive-segregation units, known as The Bing, have a waiting list of 922 prisoners. full story

As you know, Thanksgiving is a day set aside every third Thursday in the month of November to reflect on and show appreciation for the blessings of the year. full story

In the past four months, 85 officers were rushed to the hospital after inmate assaults. Department officials maintain that many of these cases involved minor injuries. Only 14 were ultimately labeled serious assaults, resulting in broken bones or major wounds, officials testified Nov. 17. full story

Correction Officer James La suffered a vicious punch in the jaw from an inmate on Rikers Island who should have been punished and isolated for a previous incident. Officer Rodney Brown's thumb was bitten off by a jail inmate, and there is video of an inmate assaulting yet another officer with a broomstick in September. Those inmates were all supposed to be separated, not in general population, it's known as owing time in the box. full story

Last year I sat before this committee and provided a detailed overview of the jail violence that continues to escalate throughout the Department, jeopardizing the lives of Correction Officers as well as the inmates. In spite of the warnings issued by the COBA, the Commissioner of the Department, though her misguided management practices, has contributed to the perilous conditions confronting every uniformed member of this Department. full story

On Tuesday November 8th and Wednesday November 9th, the COBA executive board along with delegates and you the COBA member, took a stand against post cuts, against the increase in use of force incidents, against assaults on staff and against abusive disciplinary practices. This is not the end, this is just the beginning. While some may say these actions should have occurred sooner, we say timing is everything! full story

How many more civilians will be hired at DOC at $100K plus while we're cut to the bone? The next officer that gets assaulted could be you. full story

​The union representing correction officers today blasted Correction Commissioner Dora Schriro's management of the city's jail system. full story

Since January, when COBA led the charge of united public and private sector union members and middle class New Yorkers, through a bold media campaign and a massive rally held at City Hall Park, the union has vigorously fought back against the attack on our wages, pensions, benefits and our quality of life. full story

Norman Seabrook, president of the New York City Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association, advocated an automatic seven-year sentence for anyone caught with illegal firearms. “It is time for us to change the laws to make these young men accountable,” he said at the press conference. full story

“This decision reflects our continued success in fighting to ensure that those who patrol the toughest precincts in New York are not treated like animals by the Department of Correction,” COBA President Norman Seabrook said in a statement. “Under my direction, COBA Sergeant-At-Arms Benny Boscio spearheaded this grievance relentlessly for over a year until a favorable decision by the court was attained.” full story

"This is just another example of the lack of staffing that we have in the central punitive segregation area, and a lack of training that we have to combat the problems that we face everyday," said President Norman Seabrook of the New York City Correction Officers' Benevolent Association. full story

Norman Seabrook, president of the New York City Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association, called for an automatic seven-year jail term for anyone caught with an illegall firearm. "They go to Rikers Island, they do six months, eight months, a year and come out and pick up another gun," said Seabrook. "It's time for us to change the laws to make these young men accountable," he added. full story

"We have one child killing another child," said Norman Seabrook, president of the city's NYC Correction Officers' Benevolent Association. "Change the law, so if they have a gun in their hand, we'll put their ass in a cell." full story

Mets to Donate Half the Proceeds from Special $10 Ticket Offer to Tuesday’s Children FLUSHING, N.Y., September 9, 2011 - The New York Mets today announced they will offer complimentary tickets to New York City First Responders and their families for the September 11 Remembrance Ceremony at 7:30 p.m. and the Mets-Cubs game to follow at Citi Field. full story

City officials say the island is not in Zone A, the area designated most vulnerable to flooding, so there's no reason to move the prisoners and guards to a different location. They add that all power sources have been inspected and all outdoor furniture has been secured. full story

Union will cover all legal fees associated with applications and submissions for disability retirement benefits. full story

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